I have just received your letter inclosing your notes on the parts of the life which you have read. I am sorry they are not more ample – but I hasten to advert to the circumstance mentiond by Mr. Wayne which is of real importance. I had designed barely to hint at Braddocks defeat in the first volume & to detail the circumstances minutely in the second & thought I had done so, but on looking into what I believe is the 12th chapter I find I have been much more particular than I thought myself or woud wish to be.

I am happy in being able to remove [your] the uneasiness, expressed in your letter of the 9th, respecting what has been done. – Mr. Morgan is Satisfied. I explained fully to him what I long before had stated to him on the Subject. – I hope no censure will attach to Mr. Marshall but that I alone may be considered in fault. tho' I confess I cannot conceive of there being any thing dishonorable in the business.

Your letter of the 31st. Decr. mentioning that one of the manuscript Copies has been delivered to you to [act partially] upon gives me great uneasiness. I am at a loss to account for Mr Marshall's having done so inconsiderate a thing after the letter which I wrote him upon that subject. – I was so particular in my directions to him, as to forbid the delivery of the manuscripts to you even sealed up, unless Mr Morgan consented thereto, & in case of his refusal, I requested him to deposit them so sealed with Mrs. Powel. –

     I recd a day or two ago yr favr of the 23d. Being much hurried at present, & expecting to write you a long letter as soon as I hear from Mr Marshall, I mean at present only to assure you that we have every disposition to gratify all your reasonable wishes & will do so. The moment I recieve Mr Marshalls' letter, I shall send you on every thing necessary to enable you to commence your Operations.

Your favor of the 16 came to hand this evening as did also one from the Chief Justice covering the title page & preface to the history. I communicate to him by this post your sentiments respecting the proper period at which to close the 1st. vol. and also as to the name of the Author being inserted, upon both which points I entirely concur in opinion with you. I have therefore urged the necessity of adopting them. – But as he has commenced his Journey to Raleigh, my letter must follow him there, & of course I cannot expect his answer in less than 8 or 10 days.

Your letter of the inst came to hand in course of the mail, but as I had to write to Mr Marshall & to await his answer, I have not been able sooner to acknowledge it. – The complaints which you mention on account of the delay in the publication, give me great pain, particularly as it is unavoidable, and were the subscribers still more clamorous than they are, the work could not go on faster. If they had any conception of the labour & time required to examine many trunks of papers, they might perhaps be more considerate, tho' of this I should doubt.

Enclosed you will find the original letter written by the General. Mr. Hamilton, editor of the Lancaster Journal, informs me in his letter to me says, – "It was found among the papers of the late Dr. Smith of your City, and was handed to me by his son Charles Smith Esq" Mr. H. has not informed me to whom it was written, nor can it be discovered by the letter itself, but it may be fairly presumed it was addressed, under cover, to the late Rev. Dr. — I hope it may be useful. — 

The first vol. will be copied this month & if it were not necessary to take another copy for Mr Morgan it would be immediately sent on. I expect however that the delay from this circumstance will not be considerable. I shall write Mr Marshall upon the subject & will let you know when you may expect it. The 2d vol. Mr M. will bring with him to Washington in February.

By a Mr. Wessels of Baltimore, who goes to that city in the Mail Stage of this day, I have sent to the care of Mr. G. Hill, Bookseller, Minots History, in 2 vols. with a request that he will immediately forward them, to Alexandria, as directed. I have written to David Poe Jun. P. Master Up. Marlboro Md, Four times & cannot get an answer from him relative to the Sunscribers he has obtained. This day I shall take a house for my Office. I have made a [illegible] contract for a Supply of Paper. Mr. Morgan has written to you.

I have Just time to acknowledge your letter of the 29th Augt. & to request that you will have the goodness to send me both vol. of Minot's hist.¹ by stage (directed to the care of Joshua Riddle Alexa) in case you should meet with some person coming on who will take charge of them. I will pay you this month when I see you in Phila.

I shall expect to hear from Mr Morgan – I thank you for the publication from the Lancaster paper & Am very sincerely yrs